The number of Asian travellers to the UAE, particularly from China and India, has significantly increased, furthering the country’s position as a top tourist destination, according to the latest data compiled by global travel platform Expedia Group from the third quarter of 2018.

The data revealed that while travellers from US and UK topped the list for travel into the country, travellers from China and India showed the highest growth in demand compared to the same period last year (both showing almost 245 per cent and over 60 per cent respectively).

Factors contributing to this significant increase could be due to initiatives made by the UAE government to further inbound tourism, such as providing free 48-hour transit visas2 to travellers passing through the UAE, visa on arrival facilities, and acceptance of Chinese credit cards. Additionally, Indian tourists are likely to be choosing UAE as a holiday destination due to its easy reach- more than 1,000 flights operate weekly between UAE and India3.

According to Expedia Group’s data, Chinese and Indian travellers once again showed the highest year-on-year increase in demand, this time for package travel into the UAE, with a year-on-year increase of over 350 per cent and 95 per cent respectively. Other countries that showed growth in package demand were USA with just over 90 per cent, France with almost 35 per cent, and United Kingdom with an increase of over 5 per cent.

Orla Lee, VP, Market Management EMEA, Expedia Group said: “As seen from the recent data, the UAE continues to be a tourist hotspot, especially for Chinese and Indian travellers who have displayed a steady increase. This growth could be driven by various incentives introduced into the region, which include an increase in air capacity by budget carriers from China and India, increased business opportunities, strategic marketing tie-ups and promotional activities, etc. All these factors could be adding to the appeal of UAE to Indian and Chinese visitors.” – TradeArabia News Service